Connor Jessup, 22, is a Canadian actor, best known for his role as Ben Mason on TNT’s Falling Skies. In 2012, Jessup’s performance in Blackbird earned him a “Rising Star” accolade, and he was later named one of Variety’s “Actors to Watch”. (Getty)

Programming Insider

ON THIS DAYThe American Broadcasting Company (ABC) launched in 1948…In 1987, the animated family named Simpson debuted on comedy/variety half-hour“The Tracey Ullman Show” as a series of shorts…NBC sitcom “Wings”premiered in 1990. It aired through May 21, 1997 and was what you would call a “time period hit”…Animated comedy “The Angry Beavers” opened on Nickelodeon in 1997. It aired for four seasons…Celebrity birthdays: Reality starJesse James is 48; actress Ashley Judd (“Missing”) is 39; Oscar nomineeJames Franco (“127 Hours”) is 39; Oscar nominee Kate Hudson (“Almost Famous”) is 38.

-Did You Know?:
The top-rated series on ABC the first season complete national ratings from Nielsen were available, in 1950-51, was half-hour western “The Lone Ranger.” It ranked No. 7 overall, with a 41.2 household rating. Leading the rankings that season was the “Texaco Star Theater” on NBC, hosted by Milton Berle, at a 61.6 household rating. If you think a 61.6 rating was hefty, “I Love Lucy” on CBS holds the record with the highest season long rating for any series historically at a 67.3 in 1952-1953.

Ratings Breakdown:
It was an easy Tuesday overnight victory for CBS, which finished first in each half-hour care of “NCIS” (#1 for the night: 8.5 rating/14 share), “Bull” (6.7/11) and “NCIS: New Orleans” (6.4/14). If it “isn’t broke” there is no need to “fix it,” so chances are CBS will leave Tuesday intact next season. The network will announce its fall 2017 primetime schedule on May 17.

In season (or series) finale news, two episodes of NBC sitcom “Trial & Error” did not resonate in the 10 p.m. hour, with a 2.4/ 4 in the household overnights in the 10 p.m. half-hour (#2) and a 1.9/ 3 at 10:30 p.m. That 2.4 overnight rating slipped by a considerable 57 percent from the 9:30 p.m. portion of “The Voice” (#2: 5.6/ 9). Overall, “The Voice” scored a healthy 5.7/ 9 from 8-10 p.m., which was 10 percent below the 6.3/10 for a one hour (8-9 p.m.) edition on the year-ago evening.

For the complete analysis, including the breakdown by half-hour, for Tuesday, April 18, click here

The 8 New Summer Shows Most Likely to Become Hits
From Campaign US: Once upon a time, summer was a TV dead zone, a vast expanse of reruns, game shows and leftovers that drew the paltry numbers it deserved.

That all started to change about 15 years ago, when the influx of scripted shows on cable began creeping into the post-Memorial Day period. It took a while, but the broadcast networks eventually took note, and began expanding their programming strategy to include all 12 months of the year.

CBS drama “Under the Dome,” with an average 11.2 million viewers in 2013, was the first real broadcast scripted summer success. That year, the network even proclaimed that the words “midseason” and “summer” were no longer part of its vocabulary.

Of course, warm-weather programming hasn’t been enough to stanch the overall ratings decline for the networks. But stepping to the plate with more original scripted summer options at least indicates to advertisers that the “Gone Fishin’” sign has been retired. And the chance of a potential new hit offers a stronger promotional platform for the fall. It never hurts to be aggressive.

There are a number of promising entries among the broadcasters this summer, scripted and non-scripted alike. For a listing of eight series worth checking out, click here

NEW PROGRAMMING ANNOUNCEMENTS

TNT Orders “Deadlier Than the Male” Pilot
TNT has ordered a pilot for proposed drama “Deadlier Than the Mal” (working title), which is described as a challenging and morally complex thriller about three damaged people trying to start over. The pilot is being produced by Bruna Papandrea’s Made Up Stories and Turner’s Studio T, and executive-produced by Bruna Papandrea (“Big Little Lies”); Harriet Warner (“Call the Midwife,” “Mistresses”), who is also writing the script; and Casey Haver of Made Up Stories.

The logline: “Deadlier Than the Male” centers on a trio of characters, each with a mysterious and troubling past, including a young woman who once looked into the eyes of a dangerous killer, a former serial predator desperate to find redemption and a grieving mother obsessed with finding her missing daughter. As each of them is pushed to the edge, the truth about their pasts and their motives grows ever murkier, blurring the lines between victim and perpetrator.

FYI Orders New Culinary Series “Scraps”
FYI is partnering with Sur La Table to produce the new culinary series “Scraps,” where national Sur La Table Chef Joel Gamoran will travel across the country creating incredible feasts in unexpected places, using just food waste and scraps. KitchenAid(R) appliances will be integrated throughout the series and Katie Couric will be one of the executive producers. Ten half-hour episodes have been ordered and it premieres on Sunday, May 21 at 10:30 p.m. ET.

The logline: Each episode of “Scraps” will follow Gamoran to a new city where he partners with food waste champions to celebrate the local cuisine and create a delicious meal with food items many consider to be waste, like banana peels, shrimp shells, chicken bones and carrot stems. The pressure will be on as Joel will have less than a day to source ingredients, build a full menu and create a meal for an outdoor dinner party. From roadside foraging, to chocolate roasting, to oyster hunting – viewers will follow Gamoran in his refurbished 1963 Volkswagen bus, which doubles as his mobile kitchen.

NOTES OF INTERESTAlec Baldwin to Host TCM’s “The Essentials”
Alec Baldwin has been named host of “The Essentials,” TCM’s franchise showcasing “must see” classic films previously hosted by the late – and great – Robert Osborne. Joining Baldwin each week throughout the season will be one of three special guests: David Letterman, Tina Fey and legendary filmmaker William Friedkin. Together, Baldwin and his guests will introduce a hand-picked classic and offer color commentary on its cultural significance, its influence on other films, behind-the-scenes stories and their own personal reflections. The new season of The Essentials, which airs every Saturday night, premieres May 6 at 8 p.m. ET.

“The Essentials” will kick off with special guest David Letterman joining Baldwin to discuss a varuety of popular classics including:”The Bad and the Beautiful” (1952), airing May 6; “East of Eden” (1955) , airing on May 13; “No Time for Sergeants “(1958), airing on May 27; and “The Big Sleep” (1946), airing on June 16.

Kevin Spacey to Host “The Tony Awards”
Oscar, Golden Globe and Tony Award-winning actor Kevin Spacey will host “The 71st Annual Tony Awards,” live from Radio City Music Hall in New York City, onSunday, June 11 from 8:00-11:00 p.m. ET on CBS. This will be Spacey’s first time hosting the Tonys. In 1991, hewon the Tony Award for Best Actor in a Featured Role in a Play for his performance in “Lost in Yonkers.” The nominations for the 2017 TONY Awards will be announced on Tuesday, May 2.

Alison Sweeney to Return to NBC’s “Days of Our Lives”
Alison Sweeney will reprise her role as Sami Brady on NBC daytime staple “Days of Our Lives.” The actress confirmed via Instagram she will start shooting in a few weeks. Sweeney originated the role in 1993 and staying on “Day of Our Lives” through 2014. In 2002 she won the Special Fan Emmy Award for Favorite Villain.

The Value of Social Media in Upfront Season:
For all media outlets, the collective goal in the upfront (and NewFront) is to convince media buyers to commit to advertising deals for TV shows months away, or even the following year. And, for any outlet in search of an audience in an environment where a record number of scripted series (over 500) are expected to be competing, building a social audience prior to premiering, and after the debut, is often the key ingredient in finding those elusive eyeballs.For more, click here

MARK YOUR CALENDARS

Season three of A&E docuseries “Born This Way” will open on Tuesday, May 16 with back-to-back episodes from 9-11 p.m. ET. Produced by Bunim/Murray Productions, the series follows a group of seven young adults born with Down syndrome along with their family and friends in Southern California. “Born This Way” provides an intimate look at a diverse group of young men and women with Down syndrome as they pursue their passions and lifelong dreams, explore friendships, romantic relationships and work, all while defying society’s expectations. The series also gives voice to the parents, allowing them to talk about the joy their son or daughter brings to their family, and the challenges they face in helping them live as independently as possible.

Season two of Netflix comedy “Flaked,” starring Will Arnett, will be available for streaming on Friday, June 2. The logline: Chip (Arnett) returns to Venice after a short exile and finds that he is no longer welcome. People have not forgotten that he sold out the local community. And for what… ? Chip’s lost everything: his store, his friends, his reputation, his bicycle… he doesn’t even have a guest house to live in. All he’s got left is London (Ruth Kearney), and she’s beginning to look elsewhere – spiritually, if not physically.

ON THE AIR TONIGHT

“Fargo” on FX returns for season three. CBS airs two episodes of “Survivor”into “Criminal Minds: Beyond Borders.” Three season finales: “The Magicians” and “The Expanse” on Syfy, and “The Deed” on CNBC. For the schedule listings for Wednesday, April 19, click here